OBJECT <> PLASTIC <> SEARCH

Monday, March 23, 2009

Here’s some more information about the Lumitime family of clocks. They have an appeal and coolness that digital clocks today just don’t seem to capture. Here is some more information about some of the other various designs developed by Tamura Electric in the 1970s.

This Lumitime C-31 clock. It is like the CC-33 but no alarm. It sold for $80 with shipping. (location, Pennsylvania, USA)

A 1973 advertisement for the Lumitime “Winecup”…an unusual decorative timepiece for home or office. Lumitime – the extraordinary timepiece of the seventies. Image source: eBay.

The first page of the United States “Digital Clock” design, number D244,261 (1977). The rest of the patent can be found here. There are certainly similarities to the CC-11, but the object in the patent is not the same.

The Lumitime CC-11 above is the same as in the advertisement below. Picture courtesy of Teraforce.

Operation of the Lumitime CC-11. Video clip courtesy of Teraforce.

The first page of the United States “Digital Clock” design, number D238,253 (1975). The rest of the patent can be found here.

The Lumitime KT-1CE clock. Picture courtesy of Ray in the UK. He got his clock from eBay for approximately £20 ($28). The clock above looks to be the same as in the advertisement below.

This patent, “Shutter type digital clocks” (number 4,178,752, filed November 21, 1977 and issued December 18, 1979) and this patent, “Digital clocks provided with time switch mechanisms” (number 4,193,256, filed February 3, 1978 and issued March 18, 1980) cover what looks to be the internal mechanism of the Lumitime clock. If you ever need to open your clock, please snap a pic of the internal mechanics and send it to me for use in a future post!